A.W. Beattie Career Center and Waynesburg University are partnering to provide the opportunity for A.W. Beattie students to earn Waynesburg University credits while in high school, enabling them to get a head start on their bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education.

Today, officials of the two institutions signed an articulation agreement, which will provide a pathway for qualified A.W. Beattie students to enroll in the Early Childhood Education Program at Waynesburg University. Upon enrollment at Waynesburg, eligible students will be awarded six academic credits.

“Waynesburg values the educational experience that A.W. Beattie provides for its students,” said Dr. Shari Payne, vice president for enrollment at Waynesburg University. “This agreement is a way for us to help their students build on that experience so they can achieve their career goals in the most efficient way possible.”

The agreement was signed by Dr. Dana Cook Baer, provost at Waynesburg University, and Eric Heasley, executive director of A.W. Beattie, on the campus of Waynesburg University.

“A.W. Beattie Career Center is focused on the development of multiple college and career pathways for student success,” said Heasley. “Post-secondary and employer partnerships are the back bone of providing students access to the skills needed within the workforce.”

The primary objective of the agreement is to maximize credit transferability while retaining all Waynesburg University academic requirements and providing a rigorous program of study. Only those students who matriculate to Waynesburg will be granted Waynesburg credit.

To be eligible, A.W. Beattie students must have completed the curriculum as outlined in the A.W. Beattie Career Center Program of Studies catalog, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and have a test score of at least 75 percent on the respective written and performance sections of the NOCTI Exam.

For more information, contact Waynesburg’s Undergraduate Admissions Office at admissions@waynesburg.edu or 800-225-7393.

A.W. Beattie Career Center is consistently rated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education as one of the top performing career centers for high school students who are enrolled in post-secondary education, employed in their field of study or engaged in military services one year after graduation.

Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is one of only 21 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.

In celebration of Constitution Day, Waynesburg University’s Stover Scholars will present “From Framers to Farmers: The Substantial Effect of Wheat upon the Constitution,” at noon on Thursday, Sept. 14, in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center.

Written by Stover Scholars Tyler McCoy, T.J. DeNofrio, Olivia Schultz-Falandes and Micah Stanko, the play dramatizes the 1942 Supreme Court case Wickard v. Filburn, which examined wheat farmer Roscoe Filburn's prosecution under the New Deal's Agricultural Adjustment Act for growing too much wheat for his family's own use.

The Court held that the U.S. Constitution's interstate Commerce Clause allowed the government to regulate wheat production that never left a farmer's farm. Because of the Supreme Court’s sweeping interpretation of the interstate Commerce Clause, Wickard v. Filburn has been described by constitutional historian James Barnes in the latest edition of the Journal of Supreme Court History as the “font of federal power.”

“The Stover Scholars have been working for months to write this drama, which raises important questions about constitutional interpretation and the role of the federal government in regulating economic affairs,” said Dr. Lawrence M. Stratton, Director of the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership and Associate Professor of Ethics and Constitutional Law.

The play is directed by Waynesburg University Professor of Theater Edward L. Powers.

Waynesburg University will host guest speaker Doc Hendley Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. in Roberts Chapel. Admission is free, and the public is cordially invited to attend.

Hendley is the founder and president of Wine To Water, a non-profit organization that strives to provide clean water for people in need around the world. In 2009, he was selected as one of the Top Ten CNN Heroes for that year, chosen by a panel of judges including General Colin Powell, Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Turner and Sir Elton John.

Nearly 663 million people around the world lack access to clean water and over 2.4 billion people lack access to proper sanitation. More children die from water-related illnesses than AIDS, malaria and measles combined. After learning about the water and sanitation crisis in 2003, Hendley was moved to start a non-profit that would fight this epidemic.

He first envisioned the concept of Wine To Water while bartending and playing music in nightclubs in Raleigh, North Carolina. With the money raised, Hendley traveled to Darfur, Sudan, in 2004 and began installing water systems for victims of government-supported genocide.

In 2012, he published “Wine to Water: How One Man Saved Himself While Trying to Save the World.” The captivating story of an ordinary man changing the world through clean water, the book has become the foundation of college courses at several universities across the country, including Waynesburg University. All first year students at Waynesburg are required to read the book as part of the University’s Fiat Lux program.

“Doc’s story and his work exemplify the mission of Waynesburg University, connecting faith, learning and serving,” said Genna Steele, academic projects & grants coordinator at Waynesburg University. “It is with great excitement that we host him on our campus.”

Thousands have been inspired by Hendley’s story, and Wine To Water has grown from one man's mission into a global movement for clean water. Wine To Water has reached more than 500,000 people and worked in 25 countries.

“Hendley lives our mission every day,” said Marie Leichliter Krause, assistant provost at Waynesburg University. “Wine to Water is an organization that makes connections between faith, learning and serving to transform the community and the world. Hendley found his calling in living a life of leadership and purpose for the glory of God. I look forward to welcoming him to Waynesburg University and hearing more of his story.”

A book signing will be held in the Marsh Center, located in the lower level of Roberts Chapel, following the lecture. Books and t-shirts will be available for purchase during the book signing.

Hendley’s lecture is presented as part of the Glenn A. and Jane L. Crosby Humanities Lecture Series and a NetVUE Program Development Grant.

The Lectureship, funded by 1950 Magna Cum Laude graduates of Waynesburg University, Glenn A. and Jane Lichtenfels Crosby, brings to the University visiting scholars who are distinguished in their disciplines. NetVUE Program Development Grants are administered by The Council of Independent Colleges with generous support from Lilly Endowment, Inc.

As Pittsburgh continues to develop into a major national tech hub with a demand for qualified technology professionals, the need for an academic program focused on coding and testing has emerged.

Waynesburg University and Rivers Agile, a quality assurance and software development firm, have developed an accelerated training opportunity, the Professional Software Development Program, which will prepare participants to enter the rapidly growing tech field in under a year.

Unique to the Pittsburgh region, this partnership enables students to benefit from a traditional higher education institution as well as a cutting-edge technology company. Participants will learn directly from senior-level experts on real-world projects while building their résumés and engaging in the classroom.

“Inspired by our involvement with the Allegheny Conference and wanting to help with the projected regional needs identified in their Inflection Point study, we are excited to partner with Rivers Agile to mesh their technology expertise with our leadership and business context expertise to create a pool of software development professionals ready to fill the demand,” said Mary Cummings, senior vice president of graduate programs at Waynesburg University.

Open Houses will be held for interested individuals Wednesday, July 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursday, August 3, from 5 to 7 p.m., at Waynesburg University’s Southpointe center, located at 6000 Town Center Boulevard in Canonsburg. The Open Houses will provide the opportunity for interested applicants to meet the instructors and learn more about the program.

“Rivers Agile has been proud to provide an alternative path to education in the technology field across the Pittsburgh area through our Code School,” said Ben Wilson, Founder and CEO at Rivers Agile. “We’re excited to expand our offering through this partnership with Waynesburg University, since Pittsburgh continues to face a large gap in qualified web developers and quality assurance professionals to meet the thriving local demand. This program will arm students with the skills necessary for entry-level roles.”

The Professional Software Development Program’s curriculum has three areas of concentration, including quality assurance, web development and organizational leadership. Students who complete the two-semester coursework will be able to quickly transition from the classroom into the workforce to fill entry-level positions such as software engineer or quality assurance analyst.

Designed to immerse students into an intense curriculum through an accelerated evening format, classes will meet at Waynesburg’s Southpointe location on Monday and Wednesday evenings, beginning this fall. The program will take approximately nine months to complete, split into four 8-week sessions with a break over the Christmas holiday.

Launched in 2008 as a quality assurance and software testing consulting firm, Rivers Agile has grown into a regional leader in software innovation that provides QA and UX professional services as well as custom software solutions. The firm develops B2B and B2C software products for many industries including energy, higher education, healthcare and predictive analytics. The collaborative team is passionate about delivering innovative products focused on engineering excellence and intuitive user interfaces. Rivers Agile's process ensures that a balance between business and user needs is maintained throughout the software development lifecycle.

Waynesburg University has been named to MONEY Magazine’s 2017-2018 “Best Colleges For Your Money” list, ranking in the top 7 percent of all colleges and universities considered nationwide.

Out of the 2,400 colleges considered, 711 met the minimum requirements to be included in the ranking, which examined three primary factors: quality of education, affordability and outcomes. Waynesburg ranked No. 170.

“Ninety-eight percent of our 2015 graduates are working or studying in their chosen field within a year of graduation, and 70 percent of them choose to remain in the region, creating a consistent and positive impact on region’s economy,” said Stacey Brodak, vice president for institutional advancement and university relations at Waynesburg University.

In compiling this ranking, MONEY utilized research and advice from dozens of the nation’s top experts on education quality, financing and value, according to their website, “to develop a new, uniquely practical analysis of more than 700 of the nation’s best-performing colleges.”

“This ranking recognizes the amazing commitment of our faculty, staff and university community to the mission of this university,” said Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee. “Through their consistent devotion, we are achieving these types of results in a time filled with challenges in higher education.”

As stated on MONEY’s website, “MONEY’s Best Colleges for Your Money rankings are the first to combine the most accurate pricing estimates available with all reliable indicators of alumni financial success, along with a unique analysis of how much ‘value’ a college adds when compared to other schools that take in similar students.”

Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three additional sites located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is one of only 21 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.